Nate Parks's Blog - Posts Tagged "werewolf"
Interview with Author Nathan Parks
Q: What inspired you want to write a book?
A: Growing up I was an avid reader. Reading allowed me to escape into worlds where I could experience things I have never experienced. Later as I began to read books by authors like J.R.R. Tolkien I discovered adventures and characters that stirred my emotion and sense of worlds that I never could have imagined.
Q: What guided you to write a book in this genre?
A: I live a “normal” life every day. The fantasy genre I believe taps into a well of imagination that is within each of us, but unless we open it we may not feel or experience. It allows us to “live” through the eyes of a world beyond the scope of reality, and this helps us escape, even if for a moment, anything that may weigh heavy us. So, writing this just seemed natural.
Q:Is there any particular reason you decided to swing more toward a religious backing to the supernatural in your book?
A: I grew up deep behind religious walls. The older I got the more questions I had, and the with those questions I discovered more hypocrisy. It seemed natural to mix supernatural with a religious flare, and in that challenge the very fabric of belief; and yet build a world that both religious and non-religious could enjoy. C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien were masters at this, and both were strong influences. The desire is to make anyone truly question what they believe and see how it all blends together, but then also enjoy an escape. Growing up I never realized how so many different cultures had the same stories, but yet different when it came to religion.
Q:Are there plans to integrate any other religions' histories to the books?
A: I believe so. There are many Biblical themes within the series, but also in book one and two the book of Enoch plays an important role. The series is very character driven, and so if the characters from from other religious history then we will go that way.
Q:Why a book about monsters and demons based on the Bible?
A: The Bible is, in many ways, one of the best drama horrors you will find! Murder, monsters, supernatural, killing, betrayal, etc. It also is a book that I was indoctrinated into at a young age. The more I researched it the more I began to question, and in yet with each question I was asked to have “faith”. The older I got the more I began to see past the veil, and I believe that it can create a huge basis for a fantasy realm. We all know stories of Adam and Eve, but how many know that the Nephelium are mentioned? Where does faith, religion, history, and fantasy combine? I think the lines are very close and at times blurred.
Q:Are the characters based off of any particular people in your life?
A: Maybe, but honestly I don’t think. I could analyze it, and I would imagine that a therapist could say yes, but I try not to go that deep because it may shut my characters down. My characters come to me, speak to me, and share their story. I am the watcher, and all I do is document.
Q: Did any of your personal experiences contribute to the events that take place in the book?
A: Sometimes. Again, the characters drive it, but especially in book two there a scene with a little boy. What takes place with the boy was very similar to something that happened traumatically with me as a young boy. I did not intend to write about it, but the characters took me there. I fought so hard. One small scene took me over a week to write because I could not get through it.
Q: How do you determine what route the story takes? Is it a solid story or does it evolve as you write?
A: Always evolve. I know some authors write out an outline for the books. This series I did not. I have allowed the characters to write it. I just document what I see and hear.
Q: Do you ever feel the characters come alive to you when writing and tell you to write differently than you were planning?
A: All the time! One such time I already talked about with the young boy. SPOILER ALERT!!!!! In book one I had no idea that Alfonso would be killed. I had large visions for him, and really loved his character. When Denora tortures and kills him I sat stunned. I just sat looking at the computer screen, and I remember tears coming down my face. I thought to myself, “Did that just happen?”
Q:Would you say the primary guiding force for the book is historical, religious, or just for entertainment?
A: Entertainment, but daily I challenge myself to see through the eyes of other people, different cultures, etc. I strive to challenge others to not just “drink the juice”, but to continually challenge themselves and ask questions. So, this series also is intended for that.
Q: Where did you come up with the idea for the people known as Vapors?
A: There is a more detailed answer to this, but I don’t want to give away anything away from the book. So, I let me answer it this way. Again, with my desire to make people question, look at things at a different angle really brought the Vapors around. There is a verse in the Bible that states that life is like a vapor. I sat there thinking about that one day and asked myself, “What would happen if an angel started doubting why they existed? What would happen if an angel began to open up their ‘mind’ and start questioning everything? Would the stop being an angel? What would they become?”
Q: Can you explain what a Nephelium is? It appears they are neither Angel, nor Demon, nor regular mortal.
A: In the book of Genesis there is a description of the “Sons of God” having relationships with the “Daughters of men”. It states that children were born and they were called the Nephilim. Some believe that this meant angels or demons had intimate relationships with human women and produced children. I took some artistic liberty and changed the name and spelling to Nephelium. Again sticking with the idea of pulling belief and mythology together I used this as a premise for the Nephelium. I then asked myself why would this even happen? The answer to that brought me to Marduk and his worshipers in Babylon. This made sense with Marduk being one of the original Overlords of the Clans.
Q:Do you worry that some of the people who read your books might find some of the actions or depictions of certain characters to be blasphemous or crude?
A: I do not, and expect it. My response to them would be with a question: “Why?” Going back to seeking for entertainment along with challenging someone to think past their everyday life. It is entertainment, but also if you are offended or feel it is blasphemous then why do you? Why the reaction? Are you willing to look deeper? The actions and depictions can relate to our own actions, questions, and feelings. Is this why you are offended?
Q: There appears to be a sizable jump in time between the first and second books. Will that period of time be explained in a new book or the main story-line at all?
A: There is a five year difference between book one and two. Book three will literally pick up within a day or so from book two. There is a story element that will be revealed in book three that made it where I had to have a time lag. I also wanted to allow for space for a larger universe to write it. SPOILER ALTER!!! In those five years we see that Eve really changed. She clearly is not the Eve we meet in chapter one of book one. Yes, there will be books written that will go back and look at the actual Clan War during that time, as well as the different lives of the characters. In book two we meet another character from book one, and we realize that this character has really fallen over five years, and so there is even a chance to explore what they went through during the break.
Q:Do you see any part of yourself in any of the characters you've written about?
A: Maybe. If I really look and am honest I believe that there is always part of the author within the characters. I have spent most of my adult life breaking out from the chains of religious rhetoric, and that is evident, I believe, in many of the characters. How much I am not really sure.
Q:How do you determine where and how to end each of your books?
A: When I wrote book one I wondered when I would know where to end it. It just happened. I will never forget the day I wrote the last sentence. I was not expecting it to be that, but it was, and I remember saying, “Wow, that is the end.” Ironically book two was 100% the same way. In fact book two maybe even more. Because book three picks right up from the end of book two I was on a role. I could see where the story was going, but then all of the sudden I wrote the last line, and realized, “Oh! That is the end!”
Q:What drives you when you create new characters?
A: I describe myself as just a watcher. I “walk” into the the story, and then just write. So, the characters introduce themselves to me. I will be writing, and then all of the sudden I see someone I don’t recognize. I watch as other characters talk to them, and then I begin to discover them just as the reader does. One of the main characters in book two is Zarius. I never even thought of him, but one day there he was. I actually have a set of dice like Zarius, and I picked them up and I “heard” Zarius tell me to put his dice down. He became “real” from there on out.
Q:What is your process when you take Biblical icons and people and bring them into your books as more accessible characters?
A: When I was taught religion I had this image of everything supernatural being this huge overbearing sense of doom and dread. What if it was all just a different reality than ours? I grew up with this awe that people like Enoch, Gabriel, King David etc were these huge superheroes. The older I got, the more history I soaked up I realized that they were no different than I. If you do research on archangels there are individuals who worship them and see them as these huge massive powerhouses, but then we see mentors in our own lives who protect, serve, guide. So, what makes archangels any different than those we call “angels” today? What if they were not? What if all of it just part of a different dimension than ours, and they are just beings, like us, who have just walked the road before us? They have the same struggles, the same questions, the same inner fight that we all have?
Q:If there are Vapors and Nephelium, are there more new creations or supernatural beings to be seen in the future?
A: The series does introduce Demon dogs (like werewolves) and different elements of the Clans. In book two we see a two headed dog that is steeped in mythology, and so I believe that there very well will be new beings and creatures that will be discovered as the world expands. In the original trilogy I do not believe we see many more, if any, new beings; although you never know. There is a being in book two that is introduced that is a whole new level! Is it a being, a place, energy, or all the above?
Q: What direction can we expect to see the books take and will there be more than three?
A: Book three will be filled with more twist, turns, betrayal than you can imagine. You will be taken further into Austria, the Abyss, Scintillantes, and even discover that the Alliance in countries like Ireland. There is a surprise that will jump out to the readers that will bring you back to book one, and I believe that once book three is done readers will have a deeper sense that the universe within the covers of this trilogy is a lot larger.
That being said, the original is a trilogy, but I can promise that it will not be the last doorway into the world of the Clans and the Alliance that fans will be given.
The Nephelium (The Eternals)
Nate Parks
A: Growing up I was an avid reader. Reading allowed me to escape into worlds where I could experience things I have never experienced. Later as I began to read books by authors like J.R.R. Tolkien I discovered adventures and characters that stirred my emotion and sense of worlds that I never could have imagined.
Q: What guided you to write a book in this genre?
A: I live a “normal” life every day. The fantasy genre I believe taps into a well of imagination that is within each of us, but unless we open it we may not feel or experience. It allows us to “live” through the eyes of a world beyond the scope of reality, and this helps us escape, even if for a moment, anything that may weigh heavy us. So, writing this just seemed natural.
Q:Is there any particular reason you decided to swing more toward a religious backing to the supernatural in your book?
A: I grew up deep behind religious walls. The older I got the more questions I had, and the with those questions I discovered more hypocrisy. It seemed natural to mix supernatural with a religious flare, and in that challenge the very fabric of belief; and yet build a world that both religious and non-religious could enjoy. C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien were masters at this, and both were strong influences. The desire is to make anyone truly question what they believe and see how it all blends together, but then also enjoy an escape. Growing up I never realized how so many different cultures had the same stories, but yet different when it came to religion.
Q:Are there plans to integrate any other religions' histories to the books?
A: I believe so. There are many Biblical themes within the series, but also in book one and two the book of Enoch plays an important role. The series is very character driven, and so if the characters from from other religious history then we will go that way.
Q:Why a book about monsters and demons based on the Bible?
A: The Bible is, in many ways, one of the best drama horrors you will find! Murder, monsters, supernatural, killing, betrayal, etc. It also is a book that I was indoctrinated into at a young age. The more I researched it the more I began to question, and in yet with each question I was asked to have “faith”. The older I got the more I began to see past the veil, and I believe that it can create a huge basis for a fantasy realm. We all know stories of Adam and Eve, but how many know that the Nephelium are mentioned? Where does faith, religion, history, and fantasy combine? I think the lines are very close and at times blurred.
Q:Are the characters based off of any particular people in your life?
A: Maybe, but honestly I don’t think. I could analyze it, and I would imagine that a therapist could say yes, but I try not to go that deep because it may shut my characters down. My characters come to me, speak to me, and share their story. I am the watcher, and all I do is document.
Q: Did any of your personal experiences contribute to the events that take place in the book?
A: Sometimes. Again, the characters drive it, but especially in book two there a scene with a little boy. What takes place with the boy was very similar to something that happened traumatically with me as a young boy. I did not intend to write about it, but the characters took me there. I fought so hard. One small scene took me over a week to write because I could not get through it.
Q: How do you determine what route the story takes? Is it a solid story or does it evolve as you write?
A: Always evolve. I know some authors write out an outline for the books. This series I did not. I have allowed the characters to write it. I just document what I see and hear.
Q: Do you ever feel the characters come alive to you when writing and tell you to write differently than you were planning?
A: All the time! One such time I already talked about with the young boy. SPOILER ALERT!!!!! In book one I had no idea that Alfonso would be killed. I had large visions for him, and really loved his character. When Denora tortures and kills him I sat stunned. I just sat looking at the computer screen, and I remember tears coming down my face. I thought to myself, “Did that just happen?”
Q:Would you say the primary guiding force for the book is historical, religious, or just for entertainment?
A: Entertainment, but daily I challenge myself to see through the eyes of other people, different cultures, etc. I strive to challenge others to not just “drink the juice”, but to continually challenge themselves and ask questions. So, this series also is intended for that.
Q: Where did you come up with the idea for the people known as Vapors?
A: There is a more detailed answer to this, but I don’t want to give away anything away from the book. So, I let me answer it this way. Again, with my desire to make people question, look at things at a different angle really brought the Vapors around. There is a verse in the Bible that states that life is like a vapor. I sat there thinking about that one day and asked myself, “What would happen if an angel started doubting why they existed? What would happen if an angel began to open up their ‘mind’ and start questioning everything? Would the stop being an angel? What would they become?”
Q: Can you explain what a Nephelium is? It appears they are neither Angel, nor Demon, nor regular mortal.
A: In the book of Genesis there is a description of the “Sons of God” having relationships with the “Daughters of men”. It states that children were born and they were called the Nephilim. Some believe that this meant angels or demons had intimate relationships with human women and produced children. I took some artistic liberty and changed the name and spelling to Nephelium. Again sticking with the idea of pulling belief and mythology together I used this as a premise for the Nephelium. I then asked myself why would this even happen? The answer to that brought me to Marduk and his worshipers in Babylon. This made sense with Marduk being one of the original Overlords of the Clans.
Q:Do you worry that some of the people who read your books might find some of the actions or depictions of certain characters to be blasphemous or crude?
A: I do not, and expect it. My response to them would be with a question: “Why?” Going back to seeking for entertainment along with challenging someone to think past their everyday life. It is entertainment, but also if you are offended or feel it is blasphemous then why do you? Why the reaction? Are you willing to look deeper? The actions and depictions can relate to our own actions, questions, and feelings. Is this why you are offended?
Q: There appears to be a sizable jump in time between the first and second books. Will that period of time be explained in a new book or the main story-line at all?
A: There is a five year difference between book one and two. Book three will literally pick up within a day or so from book two. There is a story element that will be revealed in book three that made it where I had to have a time lag. I also wanted to allow for space for a larger universe to write it. SPOILER ALTER!!! In those five years we see that Eve really changed. She clearly is not the Eve we meet in chapter one of book one. Yes, there will be books written that will go back and look at the actual Clan War during that time, as well as the different lives of the characters. In book two we meet another character from book one, and we realize that this character has really fallen over five years, and so there is even a chance to explore what they went through during the break.
Q:Do you see any part of yourself in any of the characters you've written about?
A: Maybe. If I really look and am honest I believe that there is always part of the author within the characters. I have spent most of my adult life breaking out from the chains of religious rhetoric, and that is evident, I believe, in many of the characters. How much I am not really sure.
Q:How do you determine where and how to end each of your books?
A: When I wrote book one I wondered when I would know where to end it. It just happened. I will never forget the day I wrote the last sentence. I was not expecting it to be that, but it was, and I remember saying, “Wow, that is the end.” Ironically book two was 100% the same way. In fact book two maybe even more. Because book three picks right up from the end of book two I was on a role. I could see where the story was going, but then all of the sudden I wrote the last line, and realized, “Oh! That is the end!”
Q:What drives you when you create new characters?
A: I describe myself as just a watcher. I “walk” into the the story, and then just write. So, the characters introduce themselves to me. I will be writing, and then all of the sudden I see someone I don’t recognize. I watch as other characters talk to them, and then I begin to discover them just as the reader does. One of the main characters in book two is Zarius. I never even thought of him, but one day there he was. I actually have a set of dice like Zarius, and I picked them up and I “heard” Zarius tell me to put his dice down. He became “real” from there on out.
Q:What is your process when you take Biblical icons and people and bring them into your books as more accessible characters?
A: When I was taught religion I had this image of everything supernatural being this huge overbearing sense of doom and dread. What if it was all just a different reality than ours? I grew up with this awe that people like Enoch, Gabriel, King David etc were these huge superheroes. The older I got, the more history I soaked up I realized that they were no different than I. If you do research on archangels there are individuals who worship them and see them as these huge massive powerhouses, but then we see mentors in our own lives who protect, serve, guide. So, what makes archangels any different than those we call “angels” today? What if they were not? What if all of it just part of a different dimension than ours, and they are just beings, like us, who have just walked the road before us? They have the same struggles, the same questions, the same inner fight that we all have?
Q:If there are Vapors and Nephelium, are there more new creations or supernatural beings to be seen in the future?
A: The series does introduce Demon dogs (like werewolves) and different elements of the Clans. In book two we see a two headed dog that is steeped in mythology, and so I believe that there very well will be new beings and creatures that will be discovered as the world expands. In the original trilogy I do not believe we see many more, if any, new beings; although you never know. There is a being in book two that is introduced that is a whole new level! Is it a being, a place, energy, or all the above?
Q: What direction can we expect to see the books take and will there be more than three?
A: Book three will be filled with more twist, turns, betrayal than you can imagine. You will be taken further into Austria, the Abyss, Scintillantes, and even discover that the Alliance in countries like Ireland. There is a surprise that will jump out to the readers that will bring you back to book one, and I believe that once book three is done readers will have a deeper sense that the universe within the covers of this trilogy is a lot larger.
That being said, the original is a trilogy, but I can promise that it will not be the last doorway into the world of the Clans and the Alliance that fans will be given.
The Nephelium (The Eternals)
Nate Parks
The Vapor is now released on Amazon
As I write I strive to remind myself that each author, especially a new and self-published one, is always one book away from being irrelevant. It does not matter how much fans and readers enjoyed the last one. If you did your job correctly then you left them wanting something better and newer.
This is exciting, but at the same time it requires an author to expand and grow with the book. As I wrote The Vapor this was very present in my mind. I knew that readers had loved the first book in the series, The Nephelium. I also reminded myself that it had been awhile since the readers had entered into the world of Leah, Eve, the Alliance, and the Clans. So many questions ran through my head, and I wondered if I would be able to deliver a book that was worthy of their invested time and money.
As I followed and documented these characters in their world I began to see a story unfold that blew me away. I realized that, not only were we going to be giving the fans more than they hoped, but at the same time we were expanding an already large universe.
When I completed the last portion of The Vapor I sat back and smiled. This book was so fun to write. Sure, there was times of writer's block and continual rewrites, but in the end I am proud of the novel.
Spoiler Alert!!!
In this novel you will follow deeper into the world of the Clans, Alliance, and even the Nephelium. It picks up five years after the events five years after the end of The Nephelium. In those five years the Clans of splintered, Leah has lost her desire to lead, the Arch Council is torn apart with what to do with her and her team. Eve has been on a mission of revenge, and we are introduce to new characters like Zarius, Serenity, Chad, and Victoria.
Readers will get deeper glimpses into what took place within the universe after the War of the Serpent, and how the roots of deception and family feuds grow deep through time. Just when you believe you know who you can trust, you discover that trust is a easy membrane that can be broken right before your eyes.
I want to thank all the readers and fans, my editor Dr. Sheila Rae Munoz, and my beta readers Nina Roe and Joshua Dietrich. There is also my family who have given up precious time to allow me this opportunity to bring you the next in the series; The Vapor.The Vapor
This is exciting, but at the same time it requires an author to expand and grow with the book. As I wrote The Vapor this was very present in my mind. I knew that readers had loved the first book in the series, The Nephelium. I also reminded myself that it had been awhile since the readers had entered into the world of Leah, Eve, the Alliance, and the Clans. So many questions ran through my head, and I wondered if I would be able to deliver a book that was worthy of their invested time and money.
As I followed and documented these characters in their world I began to see a story unfold that blew me away. I realized that, not only were we going to be giving the fans more than they hoped, but at the same time we were expanding an already large universe.
When I completed the last portion of The Vapor I sat back and smiled. This book was so fun to write. Sure, there was times of writer's block and continual rewrites, but in the end I am proud of the novel.
Spoiler Alert!!!
In this novel you will follow deeper into the world of the Clans, Alliance, and even the Nephelium. It picks up five years after the events five years after the end of The Nephelium. In those five years the Clans of splintered, Leah has lost her desire to lead, the Arch Council is torn apart with what to do with her and her team. Eve has been on a mission of revenge, and we are introduce to new characters like Zarius, Serenity, Chad, and Victoria.
Readers will get deeper glimpses into what took place within the universe after the War of the Serpent, and how the roots of deception and family feuds grow deep through time. Just when you believe you know who you can trust, you discover that trust is a easy membrane that can be broken right before your eyes.
I want to thank all the readers and fans, my editor Dr. Sheila Rae Munoz, and my beta readers Nina Roe and Joshua Dietrich. There is also my family who have given up precious time to allow me this opportunity to bring you the next in the series; The Vapor.The Vapor
